The Bloodborne
The Bloodborne are a savage collection of raider tribes of sub-human savages who plague the mountainous wilds of the Boise Wasteland. The end result of the twisted experiments of former Enclave scientist Dr. Katherin Winters, the Bloodborne at first seem identical to the usual raiders, albeit well muscled and far more feral. But their difference from the common raider is far from just skin deep. Genetic engineering and experimental combat drugs that are now chemically part of their biology have made the Bloodborne into something far far more dangerous than your average raider. Stronger, faster, and practically feral, the Bloodborne strike with the force of a hurricane, ripping apart all that stands in their path with blades and bludgeons. Though they lack much in the way of tactical sense and general sanity, that does not denounce the growing threat these barbarians pose to even the most advanced and powerful factions of the Boise Wasteland. History And so Enters the Firstborne... After the radiation poisoning and subsequent ghoulification of the deserters at Fort Perpetual, Dr. Katherin Winters, a brilliant neuroscientist, chemist, and biologist set out in a way to undo the process. One of the last unturned members of the science team, she was responsible for the abduction and radiation poisoning of dozens of raiders. The few that managed to live into Ghouldom were then bombarded by an assortment of drugs, almost all of which were lethal. She continued on dozens of subjects before changing her approach. If she couldn't undo ghoulification, maybe she could prevent it. She started treatment with select radiation doses and drugs. At first these trials also ended in death, with cancers and tumors developing in a remarkably short amount of time, but after several dozen tries she began to develop a formula that didn't end in death. Granted, they all ended in grotesque mutation and disfigurement, but each formula was slightly more stable than the last. Eventually she created a drug that would allow the body to absorb greater amounts of radiation. She produced a large amount of this formula before seeing the long-term effects on the subject, and began testing it on other captives. They were able to survive much larger doses, but at the cost of their sanity. They would also develop large tumors around their bodies, and increased muscle development in the young. Their aggression, paranoia, and in some cases depression would increase dramatically shortly after being exposed, with subsequent doses ratcheting up the damage to their psyche's. Winters' superiors began to have concerns when she requested permission to breed the subjects, but approval was granted. The initial test breedings were messy to say the least, with the act became very violent, usually to the point of death. When the female partner did survive, they were kept under constant surveillance, both by Winters and a security detachment sent by Chavez. Two separate females managed to survive the breedings and give birth, siring three and five children each. Each of these children were born with severe and grotesque mutations; hyper-developed musculature, gigantism, scales, and even massive jaws filled with razor sharp teeth. Their vital signs showed them stable, but all at higher rates than baseline humans. The children developed much like regular human infants, with the except that they were able to withstand lethal amounts of radiation. The children were kept in containment until a freak power outage on the Level, which temporarily unlocked the security door restraining them. The twelve year-old mutants fought through the meager resistance the Ghouls could muster, escaping into the darkness of the upper Levels, Dr. Winters dragged behind them. Freebirds No one would see the Doctor again, but her eight hell-spawn would live long lives in the valleys below the base. Raping and breeding at a rate once thought impossible, the mutants soon started calling themselves 'The Bloodborne' after their habit of emerging from their mother's stomach. They would split up and lay the foundation for the various 'tribes' of bloodborne that would emerge years later. The tribals spread throughout the region, forgetting their origins, but remembering the security forces as a sort of cultural boogeyman. For the next century and a half they would run amok across the region, fighting and dying for no greater reason than to satisfy their basest impulses. They would occasionally gather to attack The Brotherhood or the Morningstar Brothel but would organize little beyond that. In early 2279, their past would come back to them. A minor tribe of the Bone Noses, the Razorbacks, encountered a Perpetual patrol, and not recognizing the strangers, attacked them. The Power-armored soldiers easily cut the tribals apart, but a scout reported it to his chief. The chief, Spin-Rip, went to see who these devils could be, and fell to his knee's when he saw them. Vague memories of fear and death came to his mind as his eyes traveled over their black armor. He managed to approach without dying and was met by Colonel Retts. The oath that the mutant gave has seen him become a rising star within his tribe, as his enemies are often struck down by Perpetual strike teams. His ranks would swell in the face of the almost divine protection he had, a fact he would take immediate advantage of. Sending Warbands into the ruins below, earning him prestige while at the same aiding The Perpetuals' efforts and eliminating those who would challenge him. It has also lead to another bloody period in the Bloodborne's history, as the Razorbacks have swelled to the point where they could be considered the main pack of the Bone Noses, a status hated not only by their cousins but the other tribes as well. There has also been attempts by the other packs to set their grudges aside long enough to wipe out the Razorbacks, but little has come of them as of yet. Biology Created by a mixture of super-science and radiation, the Bloodborne are riddled with tumors and severe mutations. Hardened bones, increased muscular capacity, and a diet that is more carnivorous than omnivorous are just some differences. Bloodborne are usually dim witted, violent things, prone to base thoughts and emotions and little more. Rarely an individual will exhibit traits above the norm, and these individuals usually manage to outsmart and kill their cheif to become the new leader. But a Bloodborne, no matter how gifted, will always be a gibbering, flesh hungry, savage. This has led to Bloodborne developing massive, serrated teeth and enlarged canines. A few individuals have even adapted shark like teeth that constantly fall out and are replaced, though this mutation is rare. Bloodborne are extremely strong for their usually average size, capable of ripping a man limb from limb in bare seconds with little effort. (Though they cannot compete with the feats of strength that are exhibited with Super Mutants, such as ripping though Power Armor with their bare hands) Bloodborne bone structure is also notably more durable than the average human. The average Bloodborne reaches physical adulthood at roughly thirteen years of age, the maximum age a Bloodborne can live is entirely unknown as none have been kept in captivity for longer than fourteen years. One common physical mutation amongst the Bloodborne is gigantism of certain limbs in relation to the rest of the subject's body, this is most often seen in males and the afflicted limb is usually their dominant hand. Said limb can be either slightly (by one to three inches) or greatly (by about a foot or so) larger than its opposite limb. Said limb is usually more powerful, depending on the size differential this can be very pronounced or barely pronounced. Bloodborne males outnumber females by an eight to one ratio, making Bloodborne females hard fought for prizes amongst the males. Thus, only the strongest bearers of the Bloodborne gene pool are capable of breeding with true Bloodborne females. The rest usually capture pure strain human women and forcibly impregnate them with their savage young. The gestation process is usually only three months long, and incredibly painful for pure strain females to endure. Both Bloodborne sexes are noted to be incredibly virile. (With males often siring broods of up to four or more and females capable of bearing up to six infants at a time) Culture The Bloodborne hold that there are eight tribes of themselves, each descended from one of the original escapees. Each tribe is further broke down into various packs, with the members of which showing some slight loyalty to the greater group. The packs and tribes differentiate themselves by colors or symbols, most of which revolve around their favorite pastimes; rape and murder. Each tribe is subjected to their own special mutation, though a full autopsy and study has yet to be done. The tribe of Full-Eyes for instance, the descendants of a blind escapee, has a trait of prophecy, though they are usually clouded in dreams. Infighting and fatal squabbles are common, but usually kept to a happy medium by the various other prey items that inhabit the wastes. In Bloodborne "society" courting rituals and mating displays are almost unheard of, and nearly, if not all Bloodborne alive today are results of violent rape. This is not male exclusive however, with females sometimes keeping human males in harems, eating them when they grow tired, though this is rare. The Bloodborne are intelligent enough to maintain small nomadic warbands of warriors and slaves, though they only keep their slaves long enough to breed, eat or sell to amusing acquaintances. Tribes There are eight "officially" recognized tribes of the Bloodborne, with many sub-packs and half-breeds as well. The eight tribes are as follows: Bone Noses; who commonly develop excessive bone growth, often piercing through their skin. They are currently a tribe to watch in Bloodborne 'society' as many younger packs join their warpath. Their fellow tribes look on with great suspicion however, due to their alliance with The Perpetuals. Full Eyes; Born to a blind escapee, the Full Eyes are often subject to mutation and growth of their Occipital Lobes as well as their eyes, often allowing for a slighter wider visible spectrum. The 'Warchiefs' of the tribe have often been those who develop prophecy, seeing the future in their dreams. This added tissue is prone to sickness and cancer however, and combined with the constant battle, it is impossible to find a Full Eye older than thirty. The Blud-Eyes; the largest and most war-like of the Bloodborne (though this is an difficult distinction), the Blud-Eye are the typical Bloodborne. Since they are able to walk they engage in increasingly violent fights, and will usually participate in their first raid by the age of seven (assuming they survive). They have breed and spread quickly, which has lead to resentment not only among their neighbors, but amongst their own packs as well. The Chiefdom for them is hereditary, which has always lead to a civil-war, luckily (for Boise) preventing a unified tribe. Green Hairs and Waffles; technically two different tribes, they came about due to the 'marriage' of Green Hair and Waffle, two of the original escapees. They wondering the valleys around Boise for decades until Green Hair fell pregnant. Having raped many of those they came across, there were already 'packs' of theirs forming, but they acknowledged these children as their heirs. The tribe(s) most open to outside trade, but also targeted by their fellow packs and packs as weak. The Green Hairs developed several mutations in their Keratin cells, allowing them to store radiation. This allows them to poison their enemies with rads, but also causes death almost universally by 29. The Waffles have numerous tumors all over their body, which give them not only their name, but also greater perception of wind and heat. Moonhides; Sired from the Albino loins of a bloodthirsty rape-machine, the Moonhides are similar to their cousins. They do have several unique attributes however, the most prominent being their albino complexions. They also seem the most "religious" of the tribes, with packs gathering captives to sacrifice at Full and New moons. Heats; Another religious tribe, these bloodborne are obsessed with fire. born from Shiny's victims, the heats utilize fire not only in battle, but in every part of life they can; they burn their hair off when it gets too long; they cook and clean everything with it; children are often shown how to build homemade flamers; captives are sacrifices upon a pyre, and some tribals actually clean themselves with it. There habit of viewing that other Bloodborne "burn better" sees them in near constant skirmishes throughout the valleys and ruins of Boise, but they maintain relatively steady numbers. Swatters; The descendants of Rex, these Bloodborne developed excessive muscle tissue in their arms. This added strength allows them to batter around their victims, and tear some weaker mutants apart. The weight of the tissue forces them to slouch in the front however, getting lower and lower as they age. It will also strain their undernourished legs and back, with some collapsing under their own weight. Relations The Bloodborne regularly war with every faction in the Boise area, including the bloodborne. Tribal conflicts are common, as are inter-tribe conflicts. Some tribes do maintain relations with others, with a growing amount of the Bone Noses accept The Perpetuals as some sort of deities, and the slavers of the Imperial Realm as a good source of guns and food. Most tribes will attack these groups like any other however. Weapons/Tactics The Bloodborne are intelligent enough to utilize conventional firearms (though not with any form of marksmanship or finesse) and make use of the standard barbarian cudgels scrapped together from the ruins of civilization. The concept of body armor is only vaguely understood by them, and most Bloodborne warriors engage in combat bear chested save for plates of scrap that have been bolted to their bodies. The Bloodborne fight as a single tsunami of muscle and rage, utilizing ranged weapons only until they close in for the kill with their bludgeons, fangs, and fists. This anarchic combat style is not the only form of attack however, some Bloodborne utilize ambushes and traps. (though most are rather sloppy and poorly executed) Against most small settlements, the Bloodborne's abhuman biology makes them nigh unstoppable, but against organized groups, even the primitive likes of the Legion, the Bloodborne can rarely claim a true victory. Category:Idaho Category:Mutants Category:Groups Category:Raiders